Checkmate
by LilGreenPen
Summary: Memories. They were all he had now... Now that she was gone. But she had said she'd be back... But the chances of that were slim. Could he believe? Short Summary, I know. Frederick/Female Avatar, spoilers for... Well, the end of FE13.


_"When I'm gone, you have to keep yourself busy. Don't think about me. Take care of Chrom and Lissa... Take care of Morgan."_

_"Faylinn, stop." The brown-headed knight looked at her sadly. "Don't... Don't talk like that. You can't possibly believe I would allow you to - "_

_She looked down. Her lavender hair fell into her face, free of the ponytail and braids in was normally in. "Frederick, you know I have to do this."_

_"No." Frederick lifted her chin, making her look at him. "There is another way. Let Prince Chrom strike the final blow, let him put Grima to sleep..." _

_"No." She looked utterly determined. "No. Not when I can destroy him forever. I can stop this cycle, Frederick! But... You and the others would have me do nothing, so that one day Grima will come back... If Chrom puts the dragon to sleep, Lucina's dark future is only prolonged... Not changed."_

_He sighed. "I... Don't want to lose you." He admitted slowly. "And Morgan... He was just reunited with his mother, and now you would..." He couldn't go on. _

_"Frederick..."_

_He took a deep breath. "Faylinn..."_

_"Frederick, listen. Like I said before... You have to keep yourself busy while I'm gone. You and Morgan both. Don't think about me, focus on the task at hand." One chore to the next, one royal duty to another, she would rather him think about that than grieve for her?_

_"Because I'll be back." She promised. "I'll be back, Frederick. You have to believe that. Our bonds are strong. Stronger than Grima. Stronger than... Death."_

* * *

_Grima was weakened. Faylinn seized the chance. She seemed to be on fire as she added her magical might to her strength with the sword. Ignis, she'd once called it. _

_"Checkmate!" She proclaimed loudly, and dealt the blow. _

_Chrom rushed forward. "Faylinn, let me - Faylinn, what are you doing?!"_

_"May we meet again... In a better life." _

_She looked at him when she said that. She was smiling, that smile he had come to love, to cherish. She... She was..._

_The dark swept her away and she was gone._

* * *

_No one ever talked about her around Frederick. _

_If ever someone tried, Chrom would quickly change the subject... And for that Frederick was grateful. _

_He found himself taking her advice. He put his mind on his job, and on his son. Morgan needed him now, and he needed Morgan. Frederick couldn't have asked for more... His son from the future kept him from falling into despair._

* * *

_Morgan never played chess anymore._

_It used to be his favorite game. It required strategy and tactics... Frederick and Morgan had spent hours together playing chess. _

_Now, as some of Faylinn's final words were "Checkmate", neither of them could bring themselves to play it._

* * *

"Chrom, we have to do SOMETHING."

"What do you propose we do?"

"I... I dunno..."

Frederick's head jerked up. That... That was what they'd said when they found her, that fateful day in the field... Before the wars, before Grima, before... Everything.

This had to be some sort of cruel joke.

He heard them both gasp. Chrom started first. "I see you're awake now."

"Hey there." Lissa chimed in.

"There are better places to take a nap then on the ground, you know. Give me your hand."

Frederick walked up. He... He couldn't believe his eyes... That was...

_"I'll be back, Frederick. You have to believe that. Our bonds are strong. Stronger than Grima. Stronger than... Death."_

Chrom smiled. "Welcome back... It's over now."

* * *

"Faylinn..." He walked toward her. He couldn't comprehend what was happening... He...

"Frederick... Oh, Frederick!" She ran up to him and hugged him around his neck. "I..."

"I'm... You..."

"Frederick." She looked at him, square in the eye. "It's me... Faylinn."

"Faylinn..." He held her close, like she would disappear again if he let go. "I... You were right. Our bonds, our invisible ties...

"They are stronger than death."

**Okay, that was much longer than I intended, but there...**

**I finished Fire Emblem Awakening, again, and this just called to me. If you don't marry Chrom, your husband doesn't get much attention once you're married... And I love Frederick, so this had to be written. It's sad, I know... The ending to FE13 has destroyed my ability to write fluffy things for today. **

**Well, that's it for now! Bye! **


End file.
